Women and Traditions… - Women&tradition Conference - News

Women and Traditions… Roya Rahmani- Afghanistan Women and Tradition conference Traditional cultural practices reflect values and beliefs held by members of a community for periods often spanning generations. Some of these practices are beneficial to all members, while others are harmful to a specific group, such as women. Not clear distinction between religion, law and traditions. Some Examples of –ve Traditions • female genital mutilation (FGM); forced feeding of women; early marriage; forced marriage; the various taboos or practices which prevent women from controlling their own fertility; nutritional taboos and traditional birth practices; son preference and its implications ; female infanticide; early pregnancy; dowry price; honor killing; bad(badal)… • Traditional cultural practices reflect and held by members of a community for periods often spanning generations. When the source of practices believed to be sacred • Women themselves as proponent of cultural practices that effect women’s life negatively • FGM, performed by women • Discrimination in parental care • Girl child in rural and poor urban homes are burdened with domestic tasks and child care Issues • Lack of rule of Law - Customary Law VS written laws - Argument of Sharia based law E.g. Afghanistan constitution - Islam OR the specific schools - Male dominated religion - Maintaining the rights we have already achieved Educational System VS Education • Education -offer the female child an improved opportunity to be less dependent -increases her prospects of obtaining work outside the home - enhances their self confidence - may help in betterment of their life styles However…. • Access to education by itself is not enough to eliminate values held by society, for such values are in most countries transmitted into educational curricula and textbooks. Women are thus still depicted as passive and domestically oriented, while men are depicted as dominant and as breadwinners. Religious Studies for women • To help change from within • To provide them more chances and choices • To support women’s movement • To enhance the culture of questioning and analyzing "Women's Rights are Human Rights" • Since most of harmful practices are in a way that benefit men the change process for women’s right has been pretty slow. • The usual approaches we take has been presumed in a way that takes away men’s rights and gives it to women. • As opposed to more inclusive strategy that would encourage men participation an towards social change and emphasizing on how it could benefit them as well. INTL Aid and Social Change • Development organizations approach over simplifying the issues and compliance to existing “cultural” practices • Inadequate resources devoted to incremental change. • Emergence of new negative trends. • Delivery based approach. To conclude • Awareness raising for men and women about the harmful practices • Religious education • Law enforcement • More actively and jointly working toward social changes • Strategic approach from Civil Society and INTL community • As was pointed today in previous session W e need to change and to change We need ACTION!!! TODAY NOW

FlatThreadedNested Oldest FirstNewest First

The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.

Poster	Thread